It started out and was very interesting, to the point I wanted to sit and read for hours. Then it bogged down, so I let it set. I then came back and started to read in smaller sections. That did the trick and I was captivated.

A young Irish boy, Ronan O'Mara, is captivated by an itinerant Storyteller who visits his home in the 1950s. This gentleman makes his living telling stories of Ireland and its rich history in a manner that brings the events to life and enthralls the listeners. In return he is given bed and board for a couple of nights and then moves on, walking the roads of Ireland.

When the Storyteller is abruptly told to leave the house for some unknown reason, Ronan is devastated and swears to eventually fine and reconnect with the Storyteller. Ronan's search and growing into an adult and the many paths he travels in his search, is the main thread of this story. Along the way he learns much about Ireland's history, his passion and the secrets behind that fatefull night.

It is a book that will stay with you for quite a while and give you a bigger picture of what Ireland is. Beautiful. ( )

A fictional history of Ireland; I imagine that this and Rutherfurd's book on Ireland complement each other, in giving more of the history, (and probably the myths and fables as well), of the ancient land. still to be read, though

Very enjoyable tales of Celtic History told within a novel of a young boy, Ronan, who becomes so enamored of a seanchai that entered their village and spent a few nights sharing his stories that he devotes himself to finding the Storyteller. ( )

Wikipedia in English

In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.

An epic tale-within-a-tale based on the history of Ireland finds a traditional wandering Storyteller revealing his life experiences while forging a poignant new relationship in the home of an eight-year-old boy.